Five Hereford Cathedral Junior School pupils travelled to Stourport last week to compete in one of the biggest events in the athletics calendar – the Mercia Athletics Championships. The competition attracts top athletes from schools across the Midlands and Oxfordshire, with only the very best earning a place at the national finals in Birmingham.
Despite the searing heat, Alice M delivered a strong performance, running a solid 800m and competing well in the long jump. In the boys’ 200m, Alexander B and Louis S both ran competitive races, with Alexander narrowly missing out on a place in the final. The pair also impressed in the long jump, where Louis set a personal best of 3.74m to finish 8th out of 19 competitors. Alexander also achieved a personal best, jumping 3.90m to secure an excellent 4th place in a high-quality field – the winning jump was an outstanding 4.84m.
In the girls’ high jump, Francesca and Anna both cleared the early heights on their first attempts. As the competition progressed, the field of 12 gradually reduced until only the two pupils and one other competitor remained. Anna cleared 1.20m to finish third, while Francesca delivered a superb final jump of 1.28m to claim victory – her winning height was even greater than that of the boys’ champion.
Both Francesca and Anna (pictured below) have now qualified for the national finals – a fantastic achievement and a testament to their talent and determination.
